Scan barcode
curtinbrit's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mudrahermi's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dania_m's review against another edition
5.0
this was literally just really cute stuff to read about all of the characters. i especially loved the one year after epilogue.
lisagriffioen's review against another edition
4.0
Loved these short stories about all the different characters in the Selection series! Especially loved the story of Marlee, she’s so strong and so forgiving!
Overall really enjoyed it!
Overall really enjoyed it!
kaitiecakes's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted more out of this story. More info regarding what happened when we didn’t see if from America’s point of view. And I wanted to know what she was thinking up until she died.
Merged review:
It was a good ending but I wanted more about America and Maxon.
Merged review:
It was a good ending but I wanted more about America and Maxon.
kaitiecakes's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted more out of this story. More info regarding what happened when we didn’t see if from America’s point of view. And I wanted to know what she was thinking up until she died.
Merged review:
It was a good ending but I wanted more about America and Maxon.
Merged review:
This story was good but I wanted more then this. Maybe the story of how they ended up falling in love.
Merged review:
It was a good ending but I wanted more about America and Maxon.
Merged review:
This story was good but I wanted more then this. Maybe the story of how they ended up falling in love.
trisblack's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
The stories were alright. They gave some new insight to the series. Not my favorite though, and I wish some other things were addressed in the stories. It seemed to kind of gloss over anything interesting regarding different perspectives and didn’t add much to the OG series. It was a cutesy feel good kind of read but if you don’t read it you aren’t really missing out.
roxnn2000's review against another edition
5.0
A companion to The Selection series, this book contains 4 novellas, scenes from Celeste's point of view, moments from Lucy's point of view, a bonus epilogue of The One and a Where are They Now section for a few other members from the Selections.
The novellas are great.
The Queen tells of Queen Amberly's time during The Selection and her struggles to catch the prince's eye. It was filled with moments about the two of them that we hadn't seen before and helped to explain why Maxon's father was the way he was. It also showed how difficult the Selection could be when there are other obstacles in the way outside of the other girls.
The Prince shows us a Maxon we didn't know. We see moments of his life right before the Selection and how he felt going into it. We feel his nervousness and his worry over the entire process while also learning more about him that we didn't know before. It takes those moments when he first meets America and shows them from a different point of view. We get to see Maxon start to fall for America despite knowing that his father only chose her as a throwaway.
The Guard takes us into Aspen's point of view. We go from Maxon's view at the beginning of the Selection right into Aspen's view when the girls have been narrowed down into the Elite. We watch Aspen struggle between his feelings for America and fear of getting caught, especially after watching the caning of Marlee and Carter. We also see how his eventual relationship with Lucy begins and how, from his point of view, what he was telling America was the truth. We see his jealousy over her growing relationship with Maxon and we come to understand why he fights against it so hard. It makes you understand and appreciate Aspen a bit more than you could before.
The Favorite was the most interesting of the novellas as it showed how Marlee fell in love with a guard named Carter and how they couldn't fight their feelings despite knowing the consequences. We are shown the caning once again, but from Marlee's perspective, and can feel her pain as it goes on. We also get to see moments of her interacting with Maxon as he protects them from certain death twice. It makes you look at Maxon again as a compassionate person able to understand and care about the girls in the Selection. We also get moments where Marlee sees Maxon and America together and knows that they are meant to be together. It really is the most interesting of all the four novellas.
Celeste's has 3 scenes that are pulled from the books and show the transition Celeste makes throughout. We see that she comes into the Selection assured of her win and how she has already dismissed all the other competitors. We also see how her mind begins to try and force the other girls out. We get a scene where she realizes that she doesn't love Maxon, but is still determined to win because that is just what she does. She comes to this realization and wants to just be herself rather than trying to seduce him all the time. By the third scene the Celeste of the past is gone completely and has accepted America's win. It is a wonderful depiction of Celeste's character development along the books that we have. It only makes it sad when you consider Celeste's fate at the end of The One.
The Maid gives us a few select moments from Lucy's point of view after learning about Aspen and America's former relationship. By this point Lucy has already fallen for Aspen and is heartbroken to learn about this new development. We also get to see how Aspen is confused himself. He cares for America, but has also fallen for Lucy. He tries to make it clear to Lucy how he feels about her, but finds it difficult because of his confusing feelings for America. It really is an interesting point of view that I was glad to get to see, even if it was pretty short.
The bonus epilogue was very sweet. It takes place 2 years after The One where Maxon and America have settled into their new marriage and new positions. We get to see how America's life has changed and how happy she is in this new life. In addition, we get to see Maxon's hilarious reaction to America's surprise birthday present. It made me laugh out loud even though I already saw it coming.
The Where are They Now section was also really fun to read. It was nice revisiting a few of the girls from the Selection and seeing how their lives were affected, either positively or negatively, by the Selection. It was also nice to see how a few of them remained friends as time went on. I enjoyed reading about the few that were mentioned and seeing how their lives changed as time went on.
There is also a sneak peak of The Siren, which admittedly I didn't read as I want to save that for when I read The Siren completely. However, for those unsure if they would like this new book it is a great way to read the first couple chapters and get an idea of how you might like the story itself.
Overall, I loved this book. I loved the scenes from different points of view showing me how different characters reacted to different things and how Maxon and America's relationship grew in through the eyes of other people. I found that each story added a bit more behind the main three books and really enjoyed each one. If you are a fan of The Selection series, this is a must-read.
The novellas are great.
The Queen tells of Queen Amberly's time during The Selection and her struggles to catch the prince's eye. It was filled with moments about the two of them that we hadn't seen before and helped to explain why Maxon's father was the way he was. It also showed how difficult the Selection could be when there are other obstacles in the way outside of the other girls.
The Prince shows us a Maxon we didn't know. We see moments of his life right before the Selection and how he felt going into it. We feel his nervousness and his worry over the entire process while also learning more about him that we didn't know before. It takes those moments when he first meets America and shows them from a different point of view. We get to see Maxon start to fall for America despite knowing that his father only chose her as a throwaway.
The Guard takes us into Aspen's point of view. We go from Maxon's view at the beginning of the Selection right into Aspen's view when the girls have been narrowed down into the Elite. We watch Aspen struggle between his feelings for America and fear of getting caught, especially after watching the caning of Marlee and Carter. We also see how his eventual relationship with Lucy begins and how, from his point of view, what he was telling America was the truth. We see his jealousy over her growing relationship with Maxon and we come to understand why he fights against it so hard. It makes you understand and appreciate Aspen a bit more than you could before.
The Favorite was the most interesting of the novellas as it showed how Marlee fell in love with a guard named Carter and how they couldn't fight their feelings despite knowing the consequences. We are shown the caning once again, but from Marlee's perspective, and can feel her pain as it goes on. We also get to see moments of her interacting with Maxon as he protects them from certain death twice. It makes you look at Maxon again as a compassionate person able to understand and care about the girls in the Selection. We also get moments where Marlee sees Maxon and America together and knows that they are meant to be together. It really is the most interesting of all the four novellas.
Celeste's has 3 scenes that are pulled from the books and show the transition Celeste makes throughout. We see that she comes into the Selection assured of her win and how she has already dismissed all the other competitors. We also see how her mind begins to try and force the other girls out. We get a scene where she realizes that she doesn't love Maxon, but is still determined to win because that is just what she does. She comes to this realization and wants to just be herself rather than trying to seduce him all the time. By the third scene the Celeste of the past is gone completely and has accepted America's win. It is a wonderful depiction of Celeste's character development along the books that we have. It only makes it sad when you consider Celeste's fate at the end of The One.
The Maid gives us a few select moments from Lucy's point of view after learning about Aspen and America's former relationship. By this point Lucy has already fallen for Aspen and is heartbroken to learn about this new development. We also get to see how Aspen is confused himself. He cares for America, but has also fallen for Lucy. He tries to make it clear to Lucy how he feels about her, but finds it difficult because of his confusing feelings for America. It really is an interesting point of view that I was glad to get to see, even if it was pretty short.
The bonus epilogue was very sweet. It takes place 2 years after The One where Maxon and America have settled into their new marriage and new positions. We get to see how America's life has changed and how happy she is in this new life. In addition, we get to see Maxon's hilarious reaction to America's surprise birthday present. It made me laugh out loud even though I already saw it coming.
The Where are They Now section was also really fun to read. It was nice revisiting a few of the girls from the Selection and seeing how their lives were affected, either positively or negatively, by the Selection. It was also nice to see how a few of them remained friends as time went on. I enjoyed reading about the few that were mentioned and seeing how their lives changed as time went on.
There is also a sneak peak of The Siren, which admittedly I didn't read as I want to save that for when I read The Siren completely. However, for those unsure if they would like this new book it is a great way to read the first couple chapters and get an idea of how you might like the story itself.
Overall, I loved this book. I loved the scenes from different points of view showing me how different characters reacted to different things and how Maxon and America's relationship grew in through the eyes of other people. I found that each story added a bit more behind the main three books and really enjoyed each one. If you are a fan of The Selection series, this is a must-read.